


When Gilbert Kissed Anne

by nothingbutsandanddust



Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 06:56:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19223953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nothingbutsandanddust/pseuds/nothingbutsandanddust
Summary: After Ruby sadly wonders why Gilbert has yet to kiss her, the girls decide to play a game to cheer her up: Spin the Bottle. Much to Anne's horror, she is roped into playing, along with Gilbert Blythe. She fully expects a disastrous game but is surprised to find a new ally among her peers.





	When Gilbert Kissed Anne

Seated in their usual circle, the young girls of Avonlea excitedly chattered about whatever gossip had the small town abuzz this week. Or, at least, most of them were. After being scolded about her gossiping by Miss Stacy, Anne tried her very best to avoid joining in with Josie Pye, Jane, Tillie, and Ruby by engaging in the most wonderful conversations with Diana. Although, today - with Diana ill at home - Anne simply withdrew herself into her mind as she stared out the window at the heavily falling white snow. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine a handsome prince astride his dark stallion, riding through the icy wonderland to save his beloved. Who had, without his knowledge, escaped the clutches of the Haunted Forest’s creatures and was on her way to an empty home.

“Anne,” Ruby said softly, poking her with a gentle finger.

Blinking away her daydream, Anne turned towards her friend and smiled kindly. Ruby was regarding her with furrowed brows, her eyes darting toward the world sealed away from the girls by the window, as if trying to figure out what the redhead had found so interesting about the sparkling snow that coated Avonlea like a thick blanket.

“Oh, Ruby,” Anne exclaimed dreamily, glancing back out at the winter wonderland, her eyes bright and sparkling. “Isn’t it absolutely magical out there? Oh, how I wish it was winter all year long!”

With a wistful sigh, she turned back to a confused Ruby who was looking out at the frozen world with displeasure. When she turned back to Anne, Ruby frowned and shook her head, rubbing her arms as she shivered slightly. The smaller girl shook her head before speaking.

“Anne, you say that about every season. I, on the other hand, cannot stand the cold. Even just looking at the snow makes me shiver. It’s horrid! My nose and cheeks are red all the time and I look absolutely terrible. And Gilbert is here every day to see me in this awful state!”

Ruby huffed, clearly distressed as she fussed with her lovely hair and periwinkle skirt, her eyes darting to where Gilbert Blythe sat, completely absorbed in the book that lay open in front of him. Lately, he’d been staying inside, as the girls did, trying to learn everything that he could about becoming a doctor. This made Ruby anxious all the time, something that irritated Anne a little. Not that she’d ever admit it aloud.

Instead, Anne placed a reassuring hand on Ruby’s shoulder and smiled brightly at her friend. Ruby, however, still frowned sadly at Gilbert, who had yet to notice her attention, and raised a hand to her pink tinted cheeks.

“But Ruby, pink looks so incredibly magnificent on you. It appears as if your cheeks were blessed by the loveliest of wild roses. Of course, I look positively dreadful with my pink cheeks but that’s only because of my absolutely ghastly red hair. You look beautiful, Ruby,” Anne said. “Besides, Gilbert won’t care if you don’t look perfect in the cold. If a boy will love you, should he not love you for more than simply your appearance?”

It was not a question Anne was expecting an answer to, but Ruby shook her head nonetheless, her pretty curls flying about her in a flurry. By now, the other girls had begun listening to Anne and Ruby and it had become a group discussion. Josie Pye’s eyes darted between Gilbert and Ruby. Anne could practically see the wheels turning behind her eyes as she thought up a scheme that would no doubt be posed as helping Ruby while humiliating Anne in the process.

“But then why has he not kissed me yet?” Ruby wailed, her rosy lips beginning to quiver with the emotions that were so near overflowing. Jane placed a hand on her shoulder and looked at her with sympathetic eyes.

Josie Pye smiled slyly, her eyes quickly darting to Anne before she voiced her idea, “We have yet to play Spin the Bottle since Gilbert Blythe’s return to Avonlea. I’ll get all the boys to play as well so even he could not refuse.”

All the other girls nodded enthusiastically and got up to call in the boys from they played outside in the snow. At first, Anne had observed their games from inside, yearning to join in on the fun. But, after inquiring why the girls never joined the boys outside and being told off for suggesting such unladylike behaviour by a mocking Josie and an aghast Ruby, Anne had eventually decided that she was rather against engaging in any sort of leisurely actions with Billy Andrews and his brutish friends. Which was precisely why she absolutely refused to play Spin the Bottle after the humiliation she suffered the last time she took part in the absurd game.

“But Anne, you absolutely must play. If Gilbert sees that you are not, he might think of it as an excuse not to and I really do want him to play,” Ruby reasoned, gripping Anne’s hands with her small ones. 

Anne exhaled and shot a quick glance at Gilbert who, oblivious as always, was still engrossed in his book. When she glanced back at Ruby, the girl was staring yearningly at him, her eyes wide and sad. Once again, Anne sighed and Ruby turned her miserable gaze on her friend.

“How do you even know the bottle will land on you or Gilbert so that you have to kiss? What if he has to kiss another girl? This horrid game does not make any sense and I refuse to be a part of it!” Anne exclaimed.

Of course, with her rotten luck, everyone had chosen to come back in at this moment and they all - including Gilbert - heard the last part of Anne’s outburst. Her cheeks heated and she glanced away from meeting anyone’s gaze, especially Gilbert’s. Of course, Josie Pye had to burst into a fit of giggles.

“Oh, poor little Anne,” she mocked, causing Anne’s face to take on an unsightly crimson tinge. “Are you afraid of what will happen now that Cole isn’t here to save you? Coward.”

Billy and some of the boys sniggered and Anne could’ve sworn she heard one of them whisper ‘freaks’. She fisted her hands and glared up at all of them. One thing that had always been an issue with Anne was her pride. In most other cases, her pride would have resulted in her giving in but this time she knew that it would cause her more humiliation to play Spin the Bottle than refusing to play.

Anne was about to outright refuse to play when she saw the look on Ruby’s face: quivering pink lips, wide, glossy eyes and furrowed brows. Her friend begged, “Please, Anne. Pretty, pretty please.”

With a sigh, Anne looked up at the ceiling and gave in. A bright smile bloomed on Ruby’s face but Anne could not bring herself to feel anything but dread at her impending doom. While everyone else took their seats in a circle, Ruby and Anne approached Gilbert - who had finally begun paying attention - to officially ask him to join the game. Ruby was barely able to contain her excitement while Anne only frowned.

“Hello, Gilbert,” Ruby squeaked, smiling excitedly.

Gilbert returned the smile politely but his eyes were on Anne, as they often were. More recently, Anne had found that she didn’t mind his attention as they’d grown closer since Bash and Mary’s wedding. Of course, they were still rivals academically but it was much friendlier now. In addition to that, they spent some time together outside of school as Mary and Bash often invited the Cuthberts over or vice versa.

“Hello, Ruby, Anne.” He smiled brightly at the redhead as their eyes met but she didn’t return it, being too anxious for politeness. His smile wavered.

“Do you want to, um, well, everyone’s playing so would you like to play Sp-spin the Bottle with us?” Ruby barely managed to ask the simple question but Gilbert, much to both Anne and Ruby’s relief, didn’t poke fun at her.

Instead, he turned inquisitive eyes to Anne and inquired with raised brows, “Are you playing too?”

A few weeks ago, when the two friends had been talking, Anne had revealed that she unequivocally despised Spin the Bottle and had no desire to ever take part in such nonsense ever again. So, it came as no surprise to her that Gilbert was so shocked by her participation this time.

“Oh, um, yes. Well, Ruby asked me to and she’s my friend so…” Anne trailed off, shrugging and glancing back at her classmates. The girls all pretended that they had not been eavesdropping.

After a few moments of silence, during which Ruby fiddled with her skirt anxiously and Gilbert considered a clearly uncomfortable Anne, he agreed and they took a seat in the circle. Unfortunately, Anne ended up between Charlie and Billy while Gilbert, also unfortunately, ended up between Josie Pye and Jane. Ruby excitedly plopped herself down right across from Gilbert, probably thinking that this way the bottle would most likely land on her when Gilbert spun it.

“Alright,” Josie began, a wicked smile on her face that made Anne squirm in her seat. “The rules are that you must kiss whoever the bottleneck points to after you spin it. I’ll go first.”

She reached out a hand and gave the bottle a swift spin. Everyone’s eyes tracked the bottle as it came to a stop and landed on…Billy Andrews. Billy smirked as Charlie whistled and clapped him on the shoulder appraisingly. Out of habit, Gilbert and Anne glanced at each other and rolled their eyes while Josie leaned over and pecked Billy on the lips before pulling back with a flirtatious smile. Oh, what a horrible couple they would be! What nightmarish children they would have!

“I’ll go next,” Ruby piped up, reaching over to spin the bottle.

All the girls, who knew the reason they were playing in the first place, collectively held their breaths as the bottle slowed down. For some reason, as the bottle crept closer to Gilbert, Anne felt an emotion similar to dread. Almost like she was bothered by the kiss that could be shared between Gilbert and Ruby. Thankfully, she did not need to address that as the bottle stopped two people before Gilbert. It pointed directly at Moody. Ruby’s face fell but she still quickly kissed him on the lips before leaning back and looking down at her shoes. Anne wanted to feel bad for her, she truly did, but she could not help but feel somewhat relieved for some unknown reason.

“Anne, why don’t you go next,” Josie suggested with poisonous sweetness coating her voice.

Anne shook her head and said, “I’d rather not. Someone else could go.”

It was Billy who spoke this time, “I think the ugly little orphan’s right. Someone else should go so no one has to kiss a dog.”

The boys, excluding Gilbert and Moody, burst into laughter. Anne’s face turned as red as her hair and she quickly glanced down at the floor. Of course, nothing had changed since last time, of course, none of the boys would want to kiss her. Not with her hideous freckles and queer, awful hair.

“I’ll go.” Gilbert’s voice immediately silenced the jeering students.

What happened next was even more shocking.

Instead of spinning the bottle as Josie and Ruby had done before him, Gilbert simply turned it so that it faced Anne - ignoring Josie’s confused protests - before quickly crashing his lips onto hers. It only lasted a mere moment, but to Anne, it felt like a year before he pulled back and sat down cross-legged as if nothing strange had just taken place. Everyone, including Anne, gaped at him as if he’d grown another head. To Anne, he might as well have.

Gilbert, with a wonderfully infuriating grin plastered on his handsome face, simply inquired, “Who’s next?”

Everyone was too shocked to react and, thankfully, Miss Stacy chose that moment to appear from the supply closet and announce that class was to resume. All the students shuffled off to their seats but Anne and Gilbert who lingered for a moment.

Quickly, Anne pushed herself up to her feet and Gilbert followed suit. They stared at each other for a moment, then the corner of Gilbert’s lips twitched upwards in a small, shy smile. A ghost of a smile appeared on Anne’s lips before she turned on her heel and marched to her seat. Gilbert watched her go before returning to his own.


End file.
